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Mob Kills U.S. Ambassador to Libya; Marine Reinforcements Going to Benghazi; War of Words; White House Denies Rift with Israel;; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Makes Statement

Aired September 12, 2012 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for being with with us. I'm Carol Costello. We begin, of course, with breaking news.

Anti-American mob attacks embassies in Egypt and Libya. And this morning we learned of a shocking toll. The White House confirms that the U.S. ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, is dead along with three other staff members. A radical Islamic group led the hours-long siege on the American embassy in Benghazi, Libya.

The militants were apparently enraged by a cheaply made online film that's considered offensive to Islam.

Just last hour one Libyan leader joined the international chorus in condemning the attack.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHAMMED AL-MEGARYEF, LIBYA'S GENERAL NATIONAL CONGRESS (through translator): We apologize to the U.S. and to the American people, and to the government and also to the rest of the world for what happened yesterday. And at the same time, we expect the world to cooperate with us in order to confront to what is meant out of this kind of cowardice, criminal act.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That is the Libyan -- I'm sorry, the Libyan Prime Minister, just so you know.

CNN foreign affairs reporter, Elise Labott, is at the State Department.

Elise, you've known Ambassador Christopher for years. Tell us about him.

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, what can I say? He was really -- considered at the State Department really the cream of the crop in terms of diplomatic foreign service officers. This was not -- although we're seeing him in a pinstripe suit right there. He's really not what you consider a pinstripe diplomat, sitting in his office. He was really someone that was out in the field, working with all sectors of Libyan society. I first met him in 2007 when the U.S. was trying to restore its ties with the regime of Moammar Gadhafi. And he was the head diplomat on the ground there. And then after the fall of Gadhafi, he was sent as the envoy to the opposition.

On the ground in Benghazi with the rebels. That's where he was really the most -- the most happy, just trying to get this country working with this new government to be ready for the day after. And then after Moammar Gadhafi fell, he was really considered the only man for the job because he had such an affinity for Libya.

He knew so much about the country. Fluent Arab speaker, really considered by everybody as really one of the top diplomats at the State Department. Everyone speaking to friends and colleagues, really mourning his loss today.

COSTELLO: He wasn't on the job for very long, was he?

LABOTT: He wasn't on the job as U.S. ambassador for very long. In fact, it was just several months ago that I attended his swearing in and Secretary Clinton swore him in. But he has been working on Libya for the the past five years, as I said, first as that envoy to the -- to the Moammar Gadhafi regime and then as the envoy to the Transitional National Council.

So really Libya always in his heart. And I remember before he left a lot of us attended a brunch at his house, some journalists and also some colleagues from the State Department where -- he hadn't been appointed yet. But he knew and -- he knew, he just wasn't telling us that he was going and he kept talking about how he couldn't wait to go back, couldn't wait to help this country start anew and get back on its feet.

So it's really so tragic that someone -- of course, it's tragic when any U.S. diplomat dies in the line of duty but really tragic that someone who loved the country of Libya so much died trying to help this country gets back on its feet -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Elise Labott reporting live for us.

CNN has also learned Marines were not securing the American consulate in Benghazi. Marine reinforcements are now on their way to Benghazi where they will help secure what's left.

Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr joins us now.

And why weren't they securing the consulate office in Benghazi?

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Well, let me clarify some of this with some specifics, Carol. The U.S. installation in Benghazi is simply not a place where Marines are typically posted. Security is provided three ways to U.S. diplomatic installations. There may be U.S. Marine security personnel. There may be State Department diplomatic security personnel. Those are the type of people that typically travel with the ambassador when he's in a car. And there are also many places around the world there are contractor personnel that are hired to provide security.

This is all very typical. It remains to be seen what exactly was at Benghazi. We are told there were no Marines there. It's not a post that they typically cover.

Now there are a group of Marines and anti-terrorism security force being sent to the embassy in Tripoli, we are told. This is a reinforcement of the security there. More personnel, heavier weapons, providing more of a presence. We will see what emerges in Benghazi but the move now is to try and reinforce the U.S. embassy in Tripoli, make sure there's a very significant a security footprint.

Secretary Clinton, the President, all talking about putting more security at installations around the world. I think the big question now that everybody is asking everywhere, is there enough security? Is there an understanding of potential mob threats? And is there enough security in place to deal with it -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes. The pictures we're looking at, I just want to explain, these are Marines protecting the embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. Let's get back to the consulate office and the car in which the ambassador was driving or was in rather in Benghazi.

Do we have a picture of the car? I'm sure we do. And hopefully we could put that up.

The car looked like a typical car that the ambassador was in. Do you know anything about that? And should he have been in a more secured car like an -- like an armored car, let's say?

STARR: Well, I would have to see the picture. I have to tell you, we have traveled in these convoys as journalists many times ourselves. They are the typical appearing SUVs, if you will, that often are armored and have protective glass in them that you might not -- is that the picture of his car? That you might not recognize from the outside.

COSTELLO: This is a picture of the car. And let me just interrupt.

STARR: Yes.

COSTELLO: Because it was hit by rocket-propelled grenade, RPGs. That's how they attacked the cars.

STARR: Right.

COSTELLO: So --

STARR: I think -- I think that what we are looking at, Carol, is a need for accurate detail here that we simply don't have. What the reporting has been indicating is as the installation in Benghazi was coming under attack, they were perhaps trying to reposition, move to a more secure location.

So whether they put him in a car just to get him out of there as fast as possible remains to be seen. It's a little tough, I have to tell you, from this picture to determine whether or not this was a reinforced vehicle. But, look, this -- what we are talking about here is if somebody with a rocket-propelled grenade wants to attack a vehicle, that vehicle is likely to be destroyed unless it's a U.S. Military Humvee or heavily armored military vehicle.

The question on the table is, did the Libyans understand that this threat was forming? Did they deploy the security forces to deal with it? And did the U.S. understand it and have enough security forces on hand to deal with it?

Security for U.S. installations, inside the fence line, it is a U.S. responsibility. Out on the street, it is the host nation and it is their responsibility. It is very clear, their responsibility to deal with the violence and make sure it does not threaten an embassy or threaten U.S. personnel.

If the ambassador had to be moved, however, and goes through this situation out on the street, this is a very difficult circumstance -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Do we know of anti-American sentiment, widespread anti- American sentiment within Libya? I mean, has that been going on?

STARR: Well, my colleague Jomana in Tripoli would be in a better position to answer that than me. I think that it is fair to say that there are elements of this across Libya and across so many places. I mean look what happened in Cairo yesterday at the U.S. -- main U.S. embassy in downtown Cairo.

Perhaps hundreds of people coming to the embassy, engaging in violence, trying to climb the fence. And Egyptian security personnel -- you can come to your own determination as you look at the pictures, whether you think the Egyptians responded properly or not.

As you see these pictures outside of Cairo, this is the kind of thing that embassies around the world deal with. You know, make no mistake, there is some danger, some security risk in all of these countries, in all of these situations.

But what the U.S. is very clear on, as are countries around the world, if you're going to have diplomatic relations with countries, if you're not going to, you know, isolate and only be at home, one, you do take some risks but, two, you negotiate security arrangements with the host country and it is supposed to be the case that they provide security out on the streets.

Two questions. How did the mob violence form and not -- can't dealt with by the host nation's security, was there enough security inside the embassy? Was there enough security for the ambassador, sadly, and his team -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Questions that hopefully will be answered soon.

Barbara Starr, thank you so much for putting things into perspective for us. Thank you very much. Let's head out to Cairo now. We have a picture of protesters in front of that embassy in Egypt. And you saw the pictures that Barbara showed us. Those were from last night. Well, these are from earlier this morning.

There are anti-American sentiments on that wall. In fact, there's one sentiment in English, we can't show it to you because it has the "F" word. It says, "U.S.A." and then that word. And of course we've tightened the shot so you can't see that. But you can see there still are protesters outside the embassy in Cairo.

We'll be heading to Egypt soon. Just wanted to show you that picture.

Want to get a better idea of exactly how the deadly attack in Libya unfolded, though. CNN's Jomana Karadsheh is in Tripoli. She joins us by phone.

How exactly did this happen, Jomana?

JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Carol, there are conflicting reports right now about what actually happened, what led to the killing of Ambassador Stevens and three other employees at the consulate. We are hearing statements made by the deputy interior minister for the eastern part of Libya, that is where Benghazi is, saying that the death happened after the embassy, the consulate staff were transferred to a secure location.

But that was dismissed by the Libyan prime minister today just a short while ago during a news conference. He refused to go into details of how the attack unfolded. But said it is under investigation and as soon as the investigation is done, and they will announce the details and explain what happened.

We do know from eyewitnesses who were at the scene yesterday outside the consulate that rocket-propelled grenades were fired by the armed group that was storming the consulate. There was fierce firefight that took place for hours there. According to one eyewitness who described the scene yesterday as a front line.

So there could have been -- there are a number of different reports of what led to the fatalities. But nothing yet confirmed. We are not -- we have not heard yet from the U.S. State Department or the embassy here about the details and the Libyan government is also doing the same.

COSTELLO: So I know that there were people firing RPGs. Were there other sources of attacks, too? I've read that grenades were tossed into nearby buildings. I've heard that the consulate building itself was looted. What have you heard?

KARADSHEH: Exactly that, Carol. There were different types of weapons used, heavy machine guns used. I could hear that yesterday on the phone as I was speaking to eyewitnesses outside the embassy. As you said, RPGs also fired. There was a fire, according to eyewitnesses, at the consulate building. This is a country that is awash with weapons. There is definitely no shortage of weapons or armed people around this country. So this is an attack. It was a full force attack that took place. Whether it started as that or if it escalated into that is something that has yet to be seen.

COSTELLO: Jomana Karadsheh, reporting live from Libya, thanks so much.

Want to take a closer look now at the man who made the film that's inciting this anti-American violence. The "Wall Street Journal" identifies him as Sam Bacille. He's the person who wrote, directed and produced this movie. The paper says he's an Israeli-American real estate developer. He the "Journal" that he funded the project by raising $5 million from about 100 Jewish donors. He would not identify any of those donors.

We've been trying to reach Bacille since yesterday and we'll continue to try to report as much as we can about this man and the source of his funding.

In the aftermath of violence in Libya, a war of words, dueling statements have come out over the past 24 hours. And we wanted to put them into context for you. Before the attacks, the U.S. embassy in Cairo issued a statement that seemed to apologize for anti-Muslim activity in the United States.

That prompted the White House to quickly release another statement through an administration official saying that Cairo embassy remarks were, quote, "not cleared."

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton then issued her own statement, condemning the attacks in the the strongest possible terms, but that was not quick enough for the Romney camp which blasted the Obama administration, saying, quote, "It's disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions," end quote.

And of course that prompted this response from the Obama campaign spokesperson Ben LaBolt. Quote, "We are shocked that at a time when the United States of America is confronting the tragic death of one of our diplomatic officers in Libya, Governor Romney would choose to launch a political attack," end quote.

But as you might expect, the situation is getting even more political. This morning Newt Gingrich appeared on CNN and he blasted President Obama.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

NEWT GINGRICH (R), FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER: When the American flag was torn down and destroyed, when an American ambassador and three other Americans are killed, my reaction is not to be find some way to be pleasant and understanding and caring about the people who were killing Americans, tearing down our flag and assaulting our country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Okay. So with all of this going on, we need some help in sorting it all out. Out White House correspondent Brianna Keilar is coming to our rescue.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Carol. And I just want to let you know, obviously, President Obama putting out a statement this morning. He learned last night that Ambassador Stevens was unaccounted for. He didn't learn until this morning that the ambassador was dead. And this morning, he said, "I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi, which took the lives of four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens."

It's a rather strong statement, I'll tell you, but it also says that "While United States rejects efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others." This is him talking about that online film that many feel is offensive to Islam and it prompted these protests. He said -- and this violence, obviously -- "We must all unequivocally oppose the senseless violence that took the lives of these public servants."

Now, on the politics of this, Carol, Mitt Romney will be speaking from the campaign trail about 9:30 from Jacksonville, Florida. So, we'll be looking to see what he says. Maybe he's trying to put a different face on what he's going to say than his comments that came out last night.

We did see a tweet coming out from the chairman of the RNC, Reince Priebus, and it said, "Obama sympathizes with attackers in Egypt. Sad and pathetic." Appearing to reference that statement from the embassy of Cairo, as if this was the official word of the administration. You talk to administration officials, they'll tell you that's not the official word of the administration.

And behind the scenes, Carol, I'll tell you that White House officials and Obama campaign officials think that in this case, that Mitt Romney may have stepped in it. You're hearing this from a lot of pundits as well, because he came out and made the statement before, certainly, all of the facts were known. When he did make his statement last night and we saw this tweet from Reince Priebus, this was at the time that we knew that there was violence, obviously, in the region but we were unaware of how extensive it was. And certainly unaware that the U.S. ambassador to Libya had been killed, Carol.

COSTELLO: I know. I'm just looking through my e-mails, because Erick Erickson, who's a Tea Party supporter and also CNN contributor, he tweeted out this morning that Romney should tread carefully when it comes to this matter. Some conservatives are saying, hey, maybe we should take a few steps back.

KEILAR: Yes, that's right. You're hearing a lot of that.

Let's remind you of the bigger picture here. A couple of weeks ago when Republicans had their convention in Tampa, one of the big speakers, you remember, is former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, really sort of frame -- in framing a lot of criticism around President Obama and his foreign policy, saying that he was leading from behind, saying that he was more interested in being a friend than being really a strong -- having the U.S. be a strong presence.

So, this is the case that the Romney campaign and Republicans have been trying to build. And we're going to see exactly how Mitt Romney's remarks about this sort of fit into that and whether, perhaps, he did himself a disservice in his criticism of President Obama's foreign policy. I think a lot of people think perhaps he did, Carol.

COSTELLO: Brianna Keilar, reporting live for us from the White House.

This bit of information just in from CNN. We've been telling you about that anti-Muslim film posted on YouTube. We're finding out that Afghanistan has banned YouTube to prevent access to that anti-Islam film. That's according to a ministry official there. We'll get more information; we'll pass it along.

Coming next on NEWSROOM, we're talking to a former U.S. ambassador to Iraq to get his perspective on the deadly violence in Libya.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

COSTELLO: More breaking news to pass along to you. President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be making some sort of statement on the situation in Libya and in Egypt at 10:35 Eastern, that's an hour and 10 minutes from now.

We already told you that Governor Mitt Romney will also be making a statement on what's happening in Benghazi, with the death of our ambassador there. He'll be doing that from Jacksonville, Florida, at 9:35 Eastern. That's just about 15 minutes. We'll carry all of that live for you.

Onto other news now:

New tensions between the Obama White House and one of the most valued allies, Israel, and it's all over Iran's development of a nuclear weapon. In an interview with Bloomberg Radio, Secretary Hillary Clinton saying, in part, quote, "We are not setting deadlines." That's a reference to potential consequences if Iran continues to develop nuclear weapons.

Clinton's comment didn't sit too well with the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who came back with this fiery response.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: The world tells Israel, "Wait. There's still time." And I say wait for what? Wait until when? Those in the international community who refuse to put red lines before Iran don't have a moral right to place a red light before Israel. So far we can say with certainty that diplomacy and sanctions haven't worked. And the fact is that every day that passes, Iran gets closer and closer to nuclear bombs. Now, if Iran knows that there is no red line, if Iran knows that there's no deadline, what will it do?

Exactly what it's doing. It's continuing, without any interference.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Senior international correspondent Sara Sidner joins us now from Jerusalem to help sort this all out.

So, here's what we're hearing in the United States -- that President Obama doesn't have time to meet with Netanyahu and he was upset, that the two men talked by phone for an hour last night and maybe all is well.

What are you hearing?

SARA SIDNER, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's interesting to note that you did hear the White House knock down its report that President Obama snubbed Mr. Netanyahu, coming to New York for the U.N. General Assembly and had wanted to meet with the President. The White House saying, no, they did not ask for a meeting, nor did we deny one.

However, I got on the phone today with Israeli prime minister spokesman Mark Freiberg, who said this. He didn't deny this report. He said, look, we were interested in having a meeting with the President. We understood that the time window was very short. But we were willing to go to Washington, which seems to contradict what the White House is saying.

This is all -- one of those -- another one of those cracks, seemingly, in the relationship between Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Obama. There is concern here about that relationship, as you might imagine, especially when it comes to Iran. Israel has said time and again that it is willing to do whatever it must do to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb and the rest of the world should be doing the same. They're very frustrated, as you heard just there from Prime Minister Netanyahu, with the timeline and how long they feel it's taking to have Iran do something.

They believe they're continuing to do what they always have done, which is working towards getting a nuclear weapon. Of course, Iran has denied they are doing that. But they don't think that the diplomatic solution, nor the sanctions are having any effect.

The United States has made it clear that they don't believe having deadlines are productive. They believe it's counterproductive and they want to see diplomatic solution and the sanctions make some progress in stopping Iran from moving any further.

That being said, these tensions between these two leaders -- a lot of people have said this relationship is an icy relationship and it just got icier. There's actually been special session called in the Knesset and the relationship between Israel and United States is one of the reasons that session was called because politicians here are concerned about relationships with its biggest ally, the U.S. -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Sara Sidner, reporting live from Jerusalem this morning.

Also this morning, U.S. marines are en route to the U.S. consulate in Libya, where an enraged mob killed the U.S. ambassador and three other staffers. Their mission, secure the building and protect remaining Americans.

Christopher Hill is a career diplomat and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq. He joins us via Skype from Denver. Thank you so much for joining us, Mr. Ambassador.

CHRISTOPHER HILL, FORMER U.S. AMBASSADOR TO IRAQ (via Skype): Thank you.

COSTELLO: First of all, when you hear of a diplomat being killed, what goes through your mind?

HILL: Well, first of all, it's a terrible tragedy. It's a tragedy for our country, but it's tragedy for our Foreign Service community, diplomats all over the world. And, as we speak, many other diplomats are risking their lives to carry out our country's interests. And so these kinds of situations are truly tragic. And my heart goes out to the families.

COSTELLO: So you served as ambassador to Iraq and I would think that security was always a concern there. From what you've heard, do you think the ambassador had proper security?

HILL: Well, first of all, I'm not sure really now is the time to be second guessing the security package. I can assure, though, I can absolutely assure you that security was paramount on the minds of that embassy and of the ambassador.

I think the issue will be -- there will be time to discuss this -- the issue will be, why did he go to Benghazi? Clearly, he knew the scene there. Clearly, he knew a lot of the players there. And so, I think a decision was made. You know, it's never an issue of getting rid of risk. It's a matter of managing risk. And that is a very tough thing to do.

COSTELLO: Typically, though -- we've been looking at pictures of the car. We don't know details about the car, I'll give you that. But typically, in general, what kind of vehicles are used to transport diplomats in dangerous countries?

HILL: Well, in dangerous countries, you usually have an SUV, usually a large SUV, which is heavily armored. When I say heavily armored, if an IED goes off right underneath it, that's probably not going to protect the occupants. Similarly, a rocket-propelled grenade fired point black blank into the side of an SUV can do a lot of damage.

So, again, this is never a matter of eliminating risk. It's a matter of managing risk and seeing if the gains can outweigh the risks.

COSTELLO: When you're traveling typically -- I'm speaking in general terms -- what kind of security do you have around you?

HILL: Well, again, it depends on the level of threat. But I can assure in Iraq, we have a lot of security. We would move in fairly large convoys, six to eight cars. In other countries, you could just move alone. When I was ambassador in Macedonia, I many times went alone, same in Poland and Korea. But when you're in a place like Libya, you would normally have a car in the front, car in the rear and you'd have some heavily guarded, heavily armed security guards.

COSTELLO: I was going to ask you to gauge the danger in a country like Libya. Everybody is arm there had, right? There's a new, fragile government in place.

So, what kind of security measures would you expect to be in place?

HILL: Well, again, without second guessing or saying things I know that I don't know, I suspect there's a lot of security. I suspect the ambassador was very carefully protected.

I also suspect that the situation in Benghazi was very chaotic in recent days and I suspect that the mob there did not just move on their own. I'm sure there was some -- there were some organizers through all of this. It's probably a very dangerous situation, difficult calls were probably made as to what is the best -- where is the best place to have the ambassador.

Clearly, we had an ambassador who really understood the situation in Benghazi, knew the people and spent a great deal of time there. I think the decision was made to have him forward deployed there.

COSTELLO: Ambassador Hill, thank you for being with us this morning.

HILL: Thank you.

COSTELLO: We're expecting Mitt Romney to start speaking at any moment. You're taking a look at live pictures from Jacksonville, Florida. Mr. Romney informed the media he will probably begin speaking 9:35 Eastern Time. That's five minutes from now. He is expected to discuss Libya and the deadly violence there. When Mr. Romney starts speaking, we'll take his comments live. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Now is your chance to talk back on one of the biggest stories of the day. The question for you this morning: Should the United States be more aggressive with Iran? Tensions are rising in the Middle East again and perhaps again between President Obama and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Over what? Iran, of course. When it comes to Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel wants the United States to walk the walk. Meaning military action sooner rather than later.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) NETANYAHU: Iran will not stop unless it sees clear determination by the democratic countries of the world and a clear red line.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Israel worries by the time we act on Iran, it will be too late. U.S. officials there's still time for sanctions to work. Still, Israel is the closest country to be affected by nuclear weapons in Iran. And American politics keeps getting in the way of, shall we say, objective debate.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: President Obama has thrown allies like Israel under the bus. President Obama is fond of criticizing Israel's leaders. He was even caught by a microphone deriding them. He's undermined their position, which was tough enough as it was.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Our commitment to Israel's security must not waver and neither must our pursuit of peace. The Iranian government must face a world that stays united against its nuclear ambition.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: United? Maybe. There was an hour-long phone conversation between Obama and Netanyahu last night. But we don't know if that red line moved. But we do know that Americans have little appetite for another war.

So, the talk back question today: Should America be more aggressive with Iran? Facebook.com/CarolCNN, Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your comments later this hour.

We continue to follow breaking news this morning: four Americans now dead following an attack on two U.S. diplomatic buildings.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Just to get you updated on everyone who will speak this morning, let's head live to Jacksonville, Florida. They're still setting the stage for Mitt Romney to come out and talk about Libya. And then he was actually scheduled to begin speaking at 9:35. He is running a little bit late. We may take him or we may take Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She is expected to make a statement on Libya in just about two or three minutes.

And then an hour from now, or thereabouts, President Obama, along with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton are expected to issue a joint statement maybe. Maybe just President Obama will talk. We'll have to wait and see. I'm sure they will address the situation of Egypt and Libya.

So, let's return to our top story now: CNN has confirmed that U.S. Marines are being deployed to Libya to help secure U.S. interests there. That's after four people, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, were killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Crowds of protesters setting fire to the building, expressing their anger over a low-budget film that is considered offensive to Islam.

Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, died in a rocket attack on the conflict that also killed three American security staff members. The last time an ambassador was killed by terrorists was in 1979.

In a separate incident in Cairo, Egypt, protesters scaled the wall of the U.S. embassy and ripped down the American flag.

Joining me now is Fouad Ajami, an expert on Islamic politics and author and senior fellow at Stanford University. Thank you so much for being with us this morning.

FOUAD AJAMI, EXPERT ON ISLAMIC POLITICS (via telephone): Thank you very much. By the way, Carol, it's Fouad, the first name.

COSTELLO: Thank you and I apologize.

AJAMI: No problem.

COSTELLO: What do you make of these incidents in Libya and Egypt?

AJAMI: Well, you know, this is really extremely sad. Sometimes words cannot express the absurdity and horror of such things. We've been here before. More than two decades ago, there was the famous episode of Salman Rushdie writing a book that Muslims considered offensive and then people died. Protests greeted the publication of the book.

So, here, you have an offensive film is met with a deeply offensive and violent attack on the consulate in Benghazi. The sadness of it is that Ambassador Stevens worked long and hard for the liberation of the Libyan people from the tyranny of Moammar Gadhafi.

COSTELLO: Newt Gingrich appeared on CNN earlier today, he said that these attacks are evidence of a wider war that's coming. Do you agree with that?

AJAMI: Well, I don't know. I don't like these kind of inflammatory statements, general remark. There is already sadness enough from this episode.

What we know is the following about Libya. Libya is really now a very anarchic country. The remnants of the Gadhafi regime are still around, trying to make sure that this new government, this new order fails. And then there are these crazy Salifists, the Islamists who are very heavily armed and a while ago the minister of interior resigned after admitting that the Islamic militants, that these people are really freelancers and just terrorists basically are more armed than the forces of the government. It's been a very violent year in Libya after the fall of the Gadhafi regime. This incident was a piece of that breakdown of law and order in Libya.

COSTELLO: I know there have been some calls in Egypt anyway that the U.S. Justice Department come down on this man who made this film. Do you think that's the right move?

AJAMI: I don't know about this. I mean, I don't -- Carol, I don't think it's a film you or I would like or would even see or would even want to have anything to do with. I think that's not really the answer to a vile film or a vile book or a vile deed of any kind is not just, you know, wanton violence. And even the president of the Libya has denounced this act.

And I think -- I'm not sure it's really about -- the filmmaker was seeking trouble and he found trouble. But this kind of response in the street where people come and attack a consulate, storm a consulate cannot be in any way accepted or given any justification.

COSTELLO: We know the country of Afghanistan has blocked this film that's on YouTube. Afghanistan has blocked YouTube so people can't see this film. Was that the right move? And should other Arab countries do the same?

AJAMI: Well, look, the Egyptians responded much better than the Libyans. The Egyptians -- Egyptian government said it believed in peaceful protest. It doesn't believe in this kind of murderous violence.

I think governments can do what they wish. I mean, if they don't want the film shown, they don't want access to the film, that's fine. But again and again, the response to a film in bad taste, in bad judgment is not going and getting your rocket propellers and attacking an embassy and killing a man who had been committed to, and pledged and had worked for the freedom of the Libyan people.

It's just a sad day for Americans. It's a sad day for the family of Chris -- Ambassador Stevens and the people who perished with him. And I think, you know, the less provocative people are better at this moment.

COSTELLO: Thank you very much for talking with us this morning.

AJAMI: Thank you. Bye.

COSTELLO: As I told you a few minutes ago, Governor Romney is expected to speak soon at an event in Jacksonville, Florida. He is expected to discuss Libya and the deadly violence there. We will bring you his remarks live.

Also, Secretary Hillary Clinton expected to speak on Libya any moment now. And when she does, we'll bring that live to you, too. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) COSTELLO: It is 47 minutes past the hour. Anti-American violence in Libya claims the life of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. CNN's Zain Verjee spent a lot of time with Stevens, he was a career diplomat who arrived in Tripoli for his latest assignment in May.

Here, we see the two of them together in at a Roman ruin in Libya back in 2006. So Zain Verjee joins us now. And just as a warning to everyone I might have to interrupt you, if the Secretary of State begins speaking or if Governor Romney begins speaking.

But -- but I do want people to get to know, you know, the man. Because we rarely talk about those killed in action or while on the job, I should say. And we -- we wanted to get a sense of Ambassador Stevens and what he was like.

ZAIN VERJEE, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: He was a brilliant diplomat, Carol. He had a brilliant mind. He was so well respected by his peers. He was so much fun, he had a great sense of humor, he was a good friend. And he was so passionate about Libya and he was so committed to diplomacy.

He was in London a few months ago. And we took a nice long walk and we had ice cream. And he was just talking about his life, his family who live in northern California. He talked of his passion for skiing and how he was going to jog no matter what, he said, of the situation in Tripoli. He would do his exercise.

But he was someone who knew, for many years, the dynamics of the Middle East. He talks a little bit about going there and becoming ambassador, how excited he was. How he saw Libya as a new hopeful environment, but he wasn't naive either. I mean, this was someone who knew in detail the dynamic -- the cultural dynamics, the tribal dynamics, the political and social dynamics of Libya in the Middle East.

He wasn't one of those ambassadors who just liked the photo-op, to talk to journalists, to be at the briefing to get that photo in there. He really went down into the ditch. He talked to Libyans across the spectrum. They really respected him. And I think the world today -- Libya and the United States in particular -- lost a really committed and talented diplomat. And it is a big blow to diplomacy and to Libya today.

COSTELLO: I think for many of us to be willing to work in such a dangerous place, I mean I'm sure some people just can't understand it. I mean, what about Libya drew him?

VERJEE: He was drawn to the Middle East. He had a passion for the people, for the environment and he was really committed to understanding it and to making the world a better place. You know, so many people who go in to diplomacy have great ideals for making the world a better place.

He was a great American. He wanted to represent the country and to promote the ideals of democracy and liberation and free speech and he did it in a way that respected the local and the cultural traditions of a country which is why he was so respected by Libyans as well as others in the Middle East and why he was well respected in the United States.

I met him for the first time, actually, back when I was covering the State Department and Condoleezza Rice and he was the deputy chief of mission at that time when Condi Rice made her historic visit to Tripoli and he was the point person for that.

He then went on to be the point person for the transition and the revolution, the U.S. placed him in Benghazi and then he went back as Ambassador. And all he could talk about was how he saw a new hope for Libya. What he told me when he was here a few months ago and we were having brunch with some friends of mine, he said that one of his biggest concerns was the growth of Islamic extremism in North Africa and in particular, in Libya.

He talked a little bit about Al Qaeda, the growth of the training camps there, the security vacuum and the challenges that the region faced but he was committed and he truly represented all that is great in America and everything it stood for. And he tried to bring that to the region and today's such a sad day for his friends, for the country and most of all his family.

COSTELLO: Oh. Zain Verjee, thanks for sharing. We appreciate it.

Once again, we are expecting the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to begin speaking. She is running a little bit late. We expect her to be behind that podium in just about 15 minutes.

On the other of screen you are looking at a live picture from Jacksonville, Florida. We're expecting Governor Mitt Romney to come out at any moment to give some remarks on what's happened in Egypt and in Libya.

We're going to take a break now. We'll be back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: All right. Let's head right to Jacksonville, Florida because there's been a change of heart apparently by the Romney campaign. As you can see, people are now being led out of the room where Governor Romney was expected to speak, live and in person, about the events in Libya and in Egypt.

But now, we've been informed by the Romney campaign that he'll issue a statement only. That will come your way in about 20 minutes. So you can see people being led out of the room. They had set the stage and everything. The podium was there, the flags were set up behind the podium.

And we have a producer on the scene. She is trying to get information about why Romney had this change of heart.

Okay. Let's head to Washington now and check in with Elise Labott; she's our State Department correspondent -- our State Department producer I should say. So Elise, United States Clinton is expected to talk in about -- oh, about 30 seconds, at least we think so. What do you expect she'll say?

LABOTT: Well, first of all, I think, Carol, she's going to talk about what a sad day this is here at the State Department. You know, U.S. ambassador killed in action -- you haven't had anything like that since the late '70s. And so the State Department is really reeling right now. I'm getting e-mails from a lot of colleagues of Chris Stevens' -- just friends of his I have spoken on the phone this morning. Talking about how sad they are; what a day this is. That somebody that cared so much as we've been talking about all morning -- cared so much about Libya would die in action trying to help this country start anew.

And so I think Secretary Clinton will talk about what a sad day it is for the family at the State Department, condolences to the family, but also, recommit to trying to help this troubled region find its way. I mean there's going to be a lot of thinking about what the U.S. will be doing as far as policy in the Middle East. Also, making sure that everybody knows that U.S. is doing everything it can to protect those diplomatic facilities and diplomatic personnel overseas. And I also think she's going to want to try and tone down the rhetoric, tone down the hyperbole that's going on right now. There's a lot of talk, a lot of anti-American sentiment so I think Secretary Clinton will try to strike a very careful balance in terms of voicing sympathy, voicing sadness, but also, trying to just calm everybody down a little bit.

COSTELLO: I know the Libyan prime minister came out and condemned these attacks and, you know, vowed to find the people who did this. Will that -- I don't know -- will that calm things down in that country? Will that help?

LABOTT: Well, I think that the U.S. Is going to be looking to the Libyans to find out who's responsible but also to make sure that those diplomatic facilities are taken care of. I mean it's really job number one of a host country --

COSTELLO: Elise, let me interrupt. Secretary of State Clinton is now speaking.

HILLARY CLINTON, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Yesterday our U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. Heavily armed militants assaulted the compound and set fire to our buildings.

American and Libyan security personnel battled the attackers together. Four Americans were killed. They included Shawn Smith, a foreign service information management officer; and our ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. We are still making next of kin notifications for the other two individuals.

This is an attack that should shock the conscience of people of all faiths around the world. We condemn in the strongest terms this senseless act of violence and we send our prayers to the families, friends and colleagues of those we've lost.

All over the world, every day America's diplomats and development experts risk their lives in the service of our country and our values. Because they believe that the United States must be a force for peace and progress in the world; that these aspirations are worth striving and sacrificing for. Alongside our men and women in uniform, they represent the best traditions of a bold and generous nation.

In the lobby of this building, the State Department, the names of those who have fallen in the line of duty are inscribed in marble. Our hearts break over each one and now because of this tragedy we have new heroes to honor and more friends to mourn.